Solar System Basics
Sun
Inner Planets
Mercury
Mars
Venus
Earth
Asteroids
Outer Planets
JupiterSaturn
UranusNeptune
Kuiper Belt & Oort Cloud
Comparisons
Inner Planets vs. Outer Planets
Asteroids vs. Comets
Inner vs. Outer Planets
SurfaceSur. CompositionMassDensity
AtmosphereAtm. Composition
Magnetic fieldRotation rate
MoonsRings
Asteroids vs. Comets
General Planetesimal PropertiesAsteroid Feature CometsRock and metal Surface Ice and rockBetween Mars & Jupiter Main Location Beyond NeptuneYes Moons Unknown0 to 630 miles Size (diameter) 0 to 1500 miles???
Formation of Our Solar System
The Solar Nebula Theory
A Star is Born
• After the core of the Sun ignited its nuclear fusion reaction, the lighter material like dust and gas was blown away into the outer solar system
Clearing the Inner Solar System
• Solar Wind – The Sun is constantly sending a stream of material (mostly hydrogen gas) outward at 0.5 to 2.0 million mph. This wind carries the lighter material out to the outer solar system
• Radiation Pressure – The intense light of the Sun exerts pressure on the lighter material sending it outward into the outer solar system
Heavy Bombardment
Main Asteroid belt
Kuiper Belt
The Kuiper Belt consist of the comets that formed from the same disk that formed the planets 4.6 billion years ago. This group of objects is the source of the short orbit comets. Orbital periods >200 years.
Kuiper Belt
Kuiper Belt
This is not entirely accurate. The spacing between these comet nuclei are millions of miles. Once in a while these cold, frozen objects are disturbed and get sent into the inner solar system where they develop a coma and sprout a long tail of gases and dust
Kuiper Belt
Notice the size of these objects compared to the Earth!
Kuiper Belt
Oort Cloud
• The Oort cloud is not part of the material that made it into the disk so these objects have random orbits that cross the plane. Their orbit can be more than 50,000 years and may appear from anywhere
Kuiper Belt
Scale Size Comparison
Scale Size Comparison
Scale Size Comparison
Scale Size Comparison
Scale Size Comparison
Scale Size Comparison